Cyclamen seed tutorial

[Maggi Young]

I agree with the BD... Diane's tutorial is fab ...I've given it its own thread!

[fleurbleue]

Wouah Diane  thank you !!!

[David Shaw]

That is a great photo blog, Diane, thank you.
I collect some seed but other is just allowed to 'fall' on the ground. What I notice is that this seed produces lots of seedlings many of which rapidly die off. It is almost as if the parent tuber is producing some sort of inhibitor to protect its own growing space.

[partisangardener]

paul I would like to see a picture of your arrowhead cyclamen. 

[angie]

Thanks Diane that was fantastic, a big help for novices like me, step by step and pictures what more could I ask for ( just my seeds to grow now ).
Angie

[Regelian]

I agree with the BD... Diane's tutorial is fab ...I've given it its own thread!

Manno!  My thread got hi-jacked!

[Lesley Cox]

Forgive me for adding just a small note, for Jamie's benefit, when you've done everything as directed by Diane, do sow your own fresh seed if you intend to, right away and as fresh as possible. Once cyclamen seed has thoroughly dried out, much seems to lose its viability. Fresh, still moist seed will germinate very freely. Dried seed much less so and often - in my experience - taking at least two years to sprout.

[Maggi Young]

I agree, Lesley... we always soak older cyclamen seed in warm water with a teeny amount of soap added to plump 'em up!

[Maggi Young]

I agree with the BD... Diane's tutorial is fab ...I've given it its own thread!

Manno!  My thread got hi-jacked!

I bet you are pleased you started something so useful to others, eh? !! Excellent!! 

[Diane Clement]

I agree, Lesley... we always soak older cyclamen seed in warm water with a teeny amount of soap added to plump 'em up!

I have found that absolutely fresh seed doesn't germinate well, I assume think the sticky stuff is a germination inhibitor.  I have no problem germinating most species of dry seed, and the best way is in the warm and in the dark - reminder of this link:
http://www.srgc.org.uk/smf/index.php?topic=4584.msg123492#msg123492

[Paul T]

Diane,

I discovered the same thing, at least with Cyclamen coum.  Seed sown fresh from the pod took much longer to germinate (and a poorer initial germination rate) than seed from the same plant that I left for 2 weeks before sowing.  So in the case of my coum at least, allowing it to dry for a couple of weeks was beneficial.

[Lesley Cox]

I agree with the not straight from the pod comments above but what I meant was for seed to be sown fresh as distinct from stored for 6 months or, if possible from the seed exchanges, for southerners at least. By the time we get it from that source, it is so dried that literally, it is almost beyond resurrection. I sow my own at about a week from collection, but usually wash it to remove the sweet sticky stuff beloved by ants.

[Paul T]

I just collected the seed from my little arrowhead cyclamen hederifolium..... there were 51 pods, the majority of which had dehisced all over the surface.  I've collected the seed (and a lot of soil and muck at the same time  ) into a brown paper bag and will sort it later.  Not bad for a plant in a 5 inch squat pot.  

And I found a pic of the plant I am talking about earlier in the Cyclamen topic (the first pic in the post at the link)..... 
http://www.srgc.org.uk/smf/index.php?topic=2893.msg85251#msg85251
The pic doesn't really do it justice, and I realised that from other people's labelling of "arrowhead", mine wouldn't be called that.  The reason I always think of it as an arrowhead is that to me it looks like the shape and facets of an obsidian or stone arrowhead (or spearhead being the larger version).  I just love the uniformity of the leaves, although they look better in real life than they do in this pic.

And I think I was right that I am enamoured with it, and everyone else is going to think of it as a fairly normal one for overseas. 

[partisangardener]

Its beautiful Paul
Narrow leaf or arrowhead whatever. I must take  pictures of mine, maybe we could swap seeds
At the moment they are covered with snow.

[Paul T]

Axel,

Well you just pop out with a hairdryer, and I'll see you with photos next year.    Unless of course it snows again, in which case it might even take longer to melt it all for photos. 

I'm glad that someone else likes one of my favourite hederifoliums.